As the Editor-and-Chief of the Islamic Perspective: Journal of the Islamic Studies and Humanities, published by the London Academy of Iranian Studies, I’m pleased to announce that Vol. 20, Winter 2018, has been released. My article, “Ali Shariati and the Dialectics of Authenticity,” can be found in this edition of the journal, along with many other enlightening pieces.

Islamic Perspective Journal: Vol. 20 Winter 2018

I’m pleased to announce that the Arabic translation of my book Islam in a Post-Secular Society: Religion, Secularity, and the Antagonism of Recalcitrant Faith (Brill, 2016; Haymarket, 2018), is now available in paperback. It was translated by Mohammed Aafif of Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco. It can be purchased at:

http://www.mominoun.com

This book attempts to explain how and why Ayatollah Khomeini was able to lead the Iranian people in their successful revolution against the Shah of Iran. Bringing together the sociological study of charisma by the sociologist Max Weber and the critical psychology of Erich Fromm, especially his analysis of the “prophet” and “priest,” Byrd develops a theory of “prophetic charisma,” which attempts to explain how Khomeini’s thoughts and actions made him uniquely qualified to guide Iran from under the Shah’s dictatorship. He pays close attention to the importance of authority, and how Khomeini’s authority to lead the revolution is tied with the charismatic authority that began with the prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, Byrd concentrates on the relationship between Khomeini and the political Marxist-Leninists movements and groups in Iran at the time of the revolution. The book demonstrates how his “Islamization” of leftist language helped infuse a radical Islamo-Marxist critique of the Shah into the Iranian masses. Byrd shows how Khomeini not only benefited from the Left’s activities in Iran but also how their critical analysis of the Iranian situation influenced Khomeini’s own thoughts and language.

University Press of America (2011) ISBN: 978-0761854852 130 pp. $31.99

This book can be purchased on Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobles, and other enlightened bookstores. Or, it can be purchased directly from the publisher at:

Buy your copy here

I’m pleased to announce Seyed Javad Miri and I’s new co-edited book on Ali Shariati, the revolutionary theorist who was instrumental in the removal of the U.S. imposed dictator of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Shah. This book is comprised of fourteen essays written by scholars from numerous countries, all exploring the work, legacy, and continual relevance of Ali Shariati’s thought and praxis. It would be of interest to those who study revolutionary philosophy, critical sociology, Iranian history, political Islam, and Islamic liberation theology.

The book was released in hardcover in the winter of 2017 by Brill (Leiden, Netherlands).

Out Now: The Paperback version of Ali Shariati and the Future of Social Theory, by Haymarket Books.

Buy the Haymarket Books softcover here

A Review from an Amazon customer:

Imperius Rex: “Perhaps the Foundational Work on Ali Shariati”

Although relatively unknown in Western circles, Ali Shariati is perhaps one of most important and influential Muslim thinkers of the twentieth century. Through his unique synthesis of Shi’ite liberation theology and Marxist thought, Shariati provided an intellectual foundation for the Iranian Revolution and has continued inspire modernist Islamic thinkers and Muslim leftists to this day. That being said, this book provides a comprehensive and thorough analysis and critique of Shariati’s thought from a multitude of perspectives, and can only be described as one of the most important works on Shariati to date. Though there are times where this book comes off as a bit too academic for some readers, I think that it is an important read for any Muslim who is interested in a modernist take and application of Islamic teachings as well as anyone who is interested in learning more about Ali Shariati and his ideas. Overall, I highly recommend this book and hope that other Muslim thinkers are given similar coverage in the future.

On January 7, 2015, two armed men dressed in masks made their way into the offices of Charlie Hebdo, intent on killing those who had drawn derisive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad. The satirical magazine based in Paris was well-known for its mockery of politicians, right-wing extremists, racists, and religious figures, including the Pope, Jews, Christians and Muslims. Once inside, the two gunmen shot and killed twelve employees, including the magazines editor and cartoonist, Stéphane Charb Charbonnier. Although Charb often claimed to defend minorities, especially Muslims, against the rising tide of racism in France, all in the name of the French Enlightenment, he nevertheless fell victim to the dialectic of the Enlightenment, in which the Enlightenment itself is functionalized as a tool of repression. This book critiques the political philosophy of Stéphane Charbonnier, showing how the new Enlightenment Fundamentalism of the political left contributes to the Islamophobic politics of Europes neo-fascist right. Drawing on the perspectives of the Frankfurt School for Social Research, it highlights that a true commitment to the Enlightenment ideals requires that the secular left and religious communities enter into a discourse by which they can find common ground. Without such an engagement, the secular left will increasingly isolate itself from the prophetic, emancipatory and liberational elements within Abrahamic religion, especially Islam. In doing this, those committed to the Enlightenment abandon a key ally in the struggle against the barbarity of neo-liberalism, nationalism, and neo-fascism, which now threatens to overcome Europe and America. Thus, the secular Cain must not slay the religious Abel, but rather find a way to live as brothers and allies in an increasingly dark world.

Cambridge Scholars Press (2017) ISBN:978-1443891240  179 pp.

This book can be purchased on Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobles, and other recalcitrant bookstores. It can also be bought direct from the publisher at

Cambridge Scholars Press

Ayn Rand’s philosophy has once again found an important part on the American political stage. With the rise of the Tea Party movement, her political and economic philosophy has infused the American public discourse with a new Libertarian vitality. Ironically, many of her new followers identify themselves as committed Christians, a prospect that Rand herself would have rejected. This book critically reviews Rand’s secular-atheist philosophy of religion, which includes her theory of altruism, collectivism, and statism, and asks the questions: How did Ayn Rand become conservative Christians’ favorite atheist?; Can Christianity, or any other prophetic religion, be reconciled with her philosophy of greed, selfishness, and capitalism?; Can one be both a Christian and a dedicated follower of Ayn Rand?; Can one appropriate her political and economic philosophy while rejecting her radical atheism and anti-religious stance?

Lexington Books (2015). ISBN: 978-0739190333. 238 pp. $85.00 Buy your copy here

This book is also available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Nobles, and other bookstores.

Edited by Dustin J. Byrd, Ph.D., Olivet College, USA, and Seyed Javad Miri, Ph.D., Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies, Iran

In the year 2015 we remembered the 50th anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination in Harlem, New York. Spurred by the commitment to continue the critical work that Malcolm X began, the scholars represented in the book have analysed the enduring significance of Malcolm X’s life, work and religious philosophy. Edited by Dustin J. Byrd and Seyed Javad Miri, Malcolm X: From Political Eschatology to Religious Revolutionary, represents an important investigation into the religious and political philosophy of one of the most important African-American and Muslim thinkers of the 20th century. Thirteen different scholars from six different countries and various academic disciplines have contributed to our understanding of why Malcolm X is still important fifty years after his death.

Contributors are: Syed Farid Alatas, Dustin J. Byrd, Bethany Beyyette, Louis A. DeCaro, Stephen C. Ferguson, William David Hart, John H. McClendon, Seyed Javad Miri, John Andrew Morrow, Emin Poljarevic, Rudolf J. Siebert, Nuri Tinaz and Yolanda Van Tilborgh.

This book can be purchased on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other revolutionary bookstores. Or, it is available directly through Brill’s Website

Brill Academic Publishing (2016) ISBN: 978-9004308671 380pp. $175 (List price)

The paperback is also available through Haymarket Press in Chicago: Haymarket Books

I am pleased to announce the release of my new book, Islam in a Post-Secular Society: Religion, Secularity and the Antagonism of Recalcitrant Faith, published by Brill (Leiden, The Netherlands). This book critically examines the unique challenges facing Muslims in Europe and North America. From the philosophical perspective of the Frankfurt School’s Critical Theory, this book attempts not only to diagnose the current problems stemming from a marginalization of Islam in the secular West, but also to offer a proposal for a Habermasian discourse between the religious and the secular. By highlighting historical examples of Islamic and western rapprochement, and rejecting the clash of civilization thesis, the author attempts to find a common language between the religious and the secular, which can serve as a vehicle for a future reconciliation.

It is available for purchase on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and other intelligent bookstores. It can also be found on Brill’s website.

Brill Academic Publishing (2016) ISBN: 978-9004325357 356 pp. $178.00 (List price)

Hardcover: Islam in a Post-Secular Society: Religion, Secularity, and the Antagonism of Recalcitrant Faith

The paperback was released by Haymarket Books in Chicago, in late 2017 ($28)

Paperback: Islam in a Post-Secular Society: Religion, Secularity, and the Antagonism of Recalcitrant Faith